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Yue Y, He N, Wang M, Li M, You X, Tian T. Why Do Humble Individuals Act More Altruistically toward Foreigners: A Moderated Mediation Model. THE JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 158:347-367. [PMID: 38411967 DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2024.2308642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
According to the humility-helping hypothesis, the question of whether humility affects altruistic behavior has received extensive attention. However, researchers have not established many links between humility and international altruism. The study explored humility as a stable personality trait and assessed whether it encouraged international altruism. It also examined the underlying mechanism between the foregoing relationship. We recruited 940 college students aged 18-23 to participate in an anonymous online survey and obtained 929 data points. The results showed that humility has a direct impact on international altruism. They largely supported the theoretical framework of the humility-helping hypothesis on the inter-group level. We also addressed the mediating effect that identification with all humanity had in the relationship between humility and international altruism. The findings showed that two forms of empathy (empathy and group empathy) have a moderating effect, indicating that different forms of empathy should be more emphasized in different social situations. Taken together, the results show that developing people's humility and helping them to identify with all humanity are key to promoting inter-group altruism, especially for those who can empathize with other people or groups.
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Chen SX, Ng JCK, Hui BPH, Au AKY, Lam BCP, Wu WCH, Pun N, Beattie P, Welzel C, Liu JH. Global Consciousness Predicts Behavioral Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence From 35 Cultures. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2023; 14:662-671. [PMID: 37220500 PMCID: PMC10195682 DOI: 10.1177/19485506221124392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 has drastically changed human behaviors and posed a threat to globalism by spurring a resurgence of nationalism. Promoting prosocial behavior within and across borders is of paramount importance for global cooperation to combat pandemics. To examine both self-report and actual prosocial behavior, we conducted the first empirical test of global consciousness theory in a multinational study of 35 cultures (N = 18,171 community adults stratified by age, gender, and region of residence). Global consciousness encompassed cosmopolitan orientation, identification with all humanity, and multicultural acquisition, whereas national consciousness reflected ethnic protection. Both global consciousness and national consciousness positively predicted perceived risk of coronavirus and concern about coronavirus, after controlling for interdependent self-construal. While global consciousness positively predicted prosocial behavior in response to COVID-19, national consciousness positively predicted defensive behavior. These findings shed light on overcoming national parochialism and provide a theoretical framework for the study of global unity and cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacky C. K. Ng
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | | | - Algae K. Y. Au
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Ben C. P. Lam
- The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Ngai Pun
- Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
| | - Peter Beattie
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Christian Welzel
- Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
- National Research University - Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - James H. Liu
- Massey University, North Shore Auckland, New Zealand
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3
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Hamer K, McFarland S. The role of early intergroup experiences for identification with all humanity in adulthood. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1042602. [PMID: 37008867 PMCID: PMC10050495 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1042602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Identification with all humanity (IWAH), defined as a bond with and concern for people all over the world, predicts concern for global problems, commitment to human rights, and prosocial activities. However, it is still unknown how such a broad social identification develops and if early experiences play any role. Two studies explored the role of diverse childhood and adolescence intergroup experiences in predicting IWAH in adulthood. We focused on experiences such as being raised in diversity and having intergroup friends, helping or being helped by various others, and having experiences leading to re- or de-categorization, and introduced a new Childhood/Adolescent Intergroup Experiences (CAIE) scale. Study 1 (N = 313 U.S. students, M age = 21) and Study 2 (N = 1,000, a representative Polish sample, M age = 47) found that this kind of intergroup experiences during childhood and adolescence predicted IWAH beyond the effects of its other known predictors, such as empathy, openness to experience, universalism, right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation or ethnocentrism. These results, obtained on various samples and in countries with different ethno-cultural contexts, point to potential ways of enlarging IWAH during childhood and adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Hamer
- Institute of Psychology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Sam McFarland
- Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, United States
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4
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Cortes Barragan R, Meltzoff AN. Prosociality and health: Identification with all humanity is a replicable predictor of prosocial motivation for health behaviors. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1052713. [PMID: 36710834 PMCID: PMC9878695 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1052713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may have passed, but the pandemic remains a major worldwide health concern that demands continued vigilance. Are there individual differences that predict the motivation to continue to wear masks and to create physical distance in public? Previous research conducted early in the pandemic had suggested that a particular social identity-identification with all humanity-is one underlying factor that contributes to people's cooperation with health behavior guidelines. This highlights that the pandemic is not only an issue to be tackled with the tools of immunology and epidemiology. It also requires the tools from psychology-to measure the representations people have about themselves and others and how these representations drive values and decisions related to health. Here we report work on U.S. respondents that examined whether individuals' level of identification with all humanity predicts their prosocial health behaviors aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19. In 3 convergent studies (total N = 1,580), we find that identification with all humanity predicted the prosocial motivation to wear masks and to engage in physical distancing when in public without a mask. The results were obtained while controlling for a host of covariates, including demographics, educational attainment, and Big Five personality dimensions. We find that some people have a marked drive to care for the health of strangers, which is significantly linked to their concern for all humanity rather than being restricted to their care for their community or country. Discussion focuses on this social identification with humanity and its enduring, replicable role in predicting the motivation to engage in prosocial health behaviors. We note key implications for theories in social and developmental psychology as well as for research that may lead to practical applications for lessening the human toll of the current and future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo Cortes Barragan
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,*Correspondence: Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, ✉
| | - Andrew N. Meltzoff
- Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,Andrew N. Meltzoff, ✉
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5
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Pong V, Tam KP. Relationship between global identity and pro-environmental behavior and environmental concern: a systematic review. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1033564. [PMID: 37139003 PMCID: PMC10149791 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1033564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Global issues such as environmental problems and climate change, require collective efforts. Global identity has been linked to the promotion of pro-environmental behavior by international and environmental organizations. In environment-related research, this all-inclusive social identity has been consistently related to pro-environmental behavior and environmental concern, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This current systematic review seeks to examine past studies across disciplines that have reported findings on the relationship between global identity and the constructs of pro-environmental behavior and environmental concern and to synthesize findings on the potential pathways behind this relationship. Thirty articles were identified through a systematic search. We found that most studies reported a positive correlation, and the effect of global identity on pro-environmental behavior and environmental concern was stable across studies. Only nine of the studies empirically examined the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. Three major themes of these underlying mechanisms emerged: obligation, responsibility, and relevance. These mediators highlight the role of global identity in pro-environmental behavior and environmental concern via how individuals relate to other humans and how they appraise environmental problems. We also observed a heterogeneity in measurements of global identity and environment-related outcomes. As a topic of interest in multiple disciplines, a variety of global identity labels have been adopted, such as global identity, global social identity, humanity identity, Identification With All Humanity, global/world citizen, connectedness to humanity, global belonging, and psychological sense of global community. Self-report measures of behavior were common, but observations of actual behavior were rare. Knowledge gaps are identified, and future directions are suggested.
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6
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De Moor EL, Cheng TY, Spitzer JE, Berger C, Carrizales A, Garandeau CF, Gerbino M, Hawk ST, Kaniušonytė G, Kumru A, Malonda E, Rovella A, Shen YL, Taylor LK, van Zalk M, Branje S, Carlo G, Padilla Walker L, Van der Graaff J. What Should I do and Who's to blame? A cross-national study on youth's attitudes and beliefs in times of COVID-19. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279366. [PMID: 36542632 PMCID: PMC9770422 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis has had a major impact on youth. This study examined factors associated with youth's attitudes towards their government's response to the pandemic and their blaming of individuals from certain risk groups, ethnic backgrounds, and countries or regions. In a sample of 5,682 young adults (Mage = 22) from 14 countries, lower perceived burden due to COVID-19, more collectivistic and less individualistic values, and more empathy were associated with more positive attitudes towards the government and less blaming of individuals of certain groups. Youth's social identification with others in the pandemic mediated these associations in the same direction, apart from the COVID-19 burden on attitudes, which had a positive indirect effect. No evidence of country-level moderation was found.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ting-Yu Cheng
- Department of Youth and Family, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jenna E. Spitzer
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Berger
- School of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alexia Carrizales
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States of America
| | | | - Maria Gerbino
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Skyler T. Hawk
- Educational Psychology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Goda Kaniušonytė
- Institute of Psychology, Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Asiye Kumru
- Department of Psychology, Ozyegin University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Elisabeth Malonda
- Department of Basic Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Anna Rovella
- Psychology Department, San Luis National University, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Yuh-Ling Shen
- Department of Psychology, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Laura K. Taylor
- School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Maarten van Zalk
- Developmental Psychology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Susan Branje
- Department of Youth and Family, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Gustavo Carlo
- School of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Laura Padilla Walker
- School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States of America
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7
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McLamore Q, Syropoulos S, Leidner B, Hirschberger G, van Bezouw MJ, Rovenpor D, Paladino MP, Baumert A, Bilewicz M, Bilgen A, Chatard A, Chekroun P, Chinchilla J, Choi HS, Euh H, Gomez A, Kardos P, Khoo YH, Li M, Légal JB, Loughnan S, Mari S, Tan-Mansukhani R, Muldoon O, Noor M, Petrović N, Selvanathan HP, Uluğ ÖM, Wohl MJ, Yeung WLV, Young K, Zein RA. The distinct associations of ingroup attachment and glorification with responses to the coronavirus pandemic: Evidence from a multilevel investigation in 21 countries. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 62:992-1012. [PMID: 36507575 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
While public health crises such as the coronavirus pandemic transcend national borders, practical efforts to combat them are often instantiated at the national level. Thus, national group identities may play key roles in shaping compliance with and support for preventative measures (e.g., hygiene and lockdowns). Using data from 25,159 participants across representative samples from 21 nations, we investigated how different modalities of ingroup identification (attachment and glorification) are linked with reactions to the coronavirus pandemic (compliance and support for lockdown restrictions). We also examined the extent to which the associations of attachment and glorification with responses to the coronavirus pandemic are mediated through trust in information about the coronavirus pandemic from scientific and government sources. Multilevel models suggested that attachment, but not glorification, was associated with increased trust in science and compliance with federal COVID-19 guidelines. However, while both attachment and glorification were associated with trust in government and support for lockdown restrictions, glorification was more strongly associated with trust in government information than attachment. These results suggest that both attachment and glorification can be useful for promoting public health, although glorification's role, while potentially stronger, is restricted to pathways through trust in government information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinnehtukqut McLamore
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.,University of Missouri at Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Anna Baumert
- Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn, Germany.,University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hyun Euh
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Angel Gomez
- Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Mengyao Li
- Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Kevin Young
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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8
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Graziani AR, Botindari L, Menegatti M, Moscatelli S. So Far, So Close: Identification with Proximal and Distal Groups as a Resource in Dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:11231. [PMID: 36141501 PMCID: PMC9517429 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
A robust body of research has highlighted the fundamental role of social identifications in dealing with emergencies and in predicting commitment behaviors. We report the results of two studies carried out in Italy to assess whether the subjective sense of belonging to meaningful proximal and distal social groups affected people's ability to cope with the pandemic crisis. Study 1 (N = 846) shows that different identifications with proximal (i.e., family and friends) and distal social groups (i.e., nation, European, and humankind) may act as buffers for individuals by reducing negative emotions and negative expectations about the future after COVID-19 and by increasing people's intentions to adhere to containment measures and to be involved in prosocial actions. Study 2 (N = 350) highlights the role of European identification in predicting propensities for using the tracing app and getting vaccinated. These results confirm the benefits of various types of identification (proximal vs. distant) in helping individuals deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Rita Graziani
- Department of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Viale Allegri 9, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Lucia Botindari
- SAIS Europe, Johns Hopkins University, Via Andreatta 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Michela Menegatti
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Silvia Moscatelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy
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9
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Feng Y, Warmenhoven H, Wilson A, Jin Y, Chen R, Wang Y, Hamer K. The Identification With All Humanity (IWAH) scale: its psychometric properties and associations with help-seeking during COVID-19. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 42:1-13. [PMID: 36043217 PMCID: PMC9406260 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03607-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The Identification With All Humanity (IWAH) scale was designed to measure the extent to which an individual identifies oneself with all human beings. The current research aimed to conduct the validation of IWAH in a Chinese population and its convergent validity, as well as test the implications of IWAH in associations with help-seeking behaviour during COVID-19. A serial of three studies was conducted from September 1st 2020 to the end of October 2020. The series of studies included Study 1- Exploring the dimensions of the IWAH scale with a sample of 2,881 participants, Study 2- Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the Chinese IWAH dimensions with a separate sample of 6,667 participants, and Study 3- Role of the IWAH in the COVID-19 pandemic with a sample of 9,046 participants. Study 1 found the Chinese version of the IWAH scale to be a two-dimensional construct, with factor 1 - Bond with Humanity and factor 2 - Human Kinship. Study 2 confirmed the two-factor construct as found in Study 1. It also showed positive relations between IWAH and moral judgement, collectivism, nature connectedness, and negative relations with callousness, and having anxiety and depressive symptoms. Study 3 found that IWAH was negatively related to fear of COVID-19 and positively related to the likeliness of help-seeking. This is the first research to test the factorial structure of the IWAH scale in a Chinese population, with the adaptation showing good psychometric properties. The implication of IWAH on fear of COVID-19 and help-seeking provided further understanding of the possible practical value of IWAH during times of global stressful life events. Furthermore, study 3 is the first to explore how IWAH relates to anxiety, depression, and callousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Feng
- Mental Health Center, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Helmut Warmenhoven
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, China
| | - Amanda Wilson
- Division of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
| | - Yu Jin
- College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Runsen Chen
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, China
- Institute for Healthy China, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Division of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Katarzyna Hamer
- Institute of Psychology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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10
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Wu F, Zhou M, Zhang Z. Can science fiction engagement predict identification with all humanity? Testing a moderated mediation model. Front Psychol 2022; 13:943069. [PMID: 36059753 PMCID: PMC9435529 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.943069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Identification with all humanity (IWAH) is viewed as a critical construct that facilitates global solidarity. However, its origins have rarely been explored in previous literature, and no study has yet investigated the role of pop-culture in cultivating IWAH. To address this gap, this study initially focuses on science fiction (sci-fi), a specific pop-culture genre with worldwide audiences, and examines its effect on IWAH. It hypothesized a direct association between sci-fi engagement and IWAH from the narrative persuasion approach, and an indirect association via abstract construal based on the cognitive-literary approach. Moreover, the moderating role of actively open-minded thinking (AOT) in the direct and indirect association was also assessed. Results were obtained through a cross-sectional survey conducted in China (n = 570) and showed that sci-fi engagement was positively associated with IWAH; this association was also partially mediated by abstract construal. Interestingly, and inconsistent with our hypotheses, AOT positively moderated the indirect effect but negatively moderated the direct effect. Theoretical and practical implications for cultivating IWAH from the media and pop-cultural perspective were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuzhong Wu
- School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Mingjie Zhou
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Zhang
- School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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11
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Sparkman DJ. Identification with humanity and health-related behaviors during COVID-19. GROUP PROCESSES & INTERGROUP RELATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/13684302221101323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This research takes a maximally inclusive social identity approach to COVID-19 and examines whether the “bond” and “concern” factors of identification with humanity: (1) explain additional variance in health-related behaviors—above and beyond relevant covariates; (2) are uniquely associated with health-related behaviors; and (3) were more strongly associated with health-related behaviors when COVID-19 cases were high. Results ( N = 324) suggest the bond and concern factors explained significantly more variance in social distancing, social influencing, overbuying, and marginally more variance in mask wearing. Bond with all humanity uniquely predicted more mask wearing, more social influencing, less social distancing, and more overbuying, and concern for all humanity uniquely predicted more social distancing and less overbuying. However, COVID-19 cases did not consistently moderate associations with health-related behaviors. Overall, identification with humanity has an important role in—and the bond and concern factors have distinct associations with—health-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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12
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Sparkman DJ, Kleive K, Ngu E. Does Activating the Human Identity Improve Health-Related Behaviors During COVID-19?: A Social Identity Approach. Front Psychol 2022; 13:810805. [PMID: 35401362 PMCID: PMC8984249 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.810805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Taking a social identity approach to health behaviors, this research examines whether experimentally "activating" the human identity is an effective public-health strategy to curb the spread of COVID-19. Three goals of the research include examining: (1) whether the human identity can be situationally activated using an experimental manipulation, (2) whether activating the human identity causally increases behavioral intentions to protect the self and others from COVID-19, and (3) whether activating the human identity causally increases behaviors that help protect vulnerable communities from COVID-19. Across two preregistered experiments (total N = 675), results suggest (1) the manipulation of identification with humanity had a significant but small effect on participants' psychological bond with all humanity (Cohen's ds = 0.21 - 0.27), but not their concern for all humanity. However, the manipulation had (2) no causal effect on health-related behavioral intentions or (3) helping behaviors that reduce the spread of COVID-19. Limitations, future directions, and direct benefits of the research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Sparkman
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
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